DALLAS, July 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Most wellness programs do not incentivize key health behaviors that can help members prevent or identify chronic disease, according to consumers enrolled in these programs. For example, 80% do not offer incentives for cancer screenings, and 52% do not offer incentives for fitness/weight loss programs. The July 2016 analysis is based on a survey by HealthMine of 750 consumers enrolled in wellness programs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 6% of adults do everything they can to ward off chronic disease. The CDC identified five behaviors people could participate in to reduce the likelihood of developing a chronic condition, like heart disease or cancer. But less than half wellness programs offer incentives for these and other important recommended health actions:

Which activities does your wellness program NOT incentivize financially?

Programs NOT Incentivized

Percent

Disease management/medication adherence

83%

All of these programs

81%

Cancer screenings

80%

Smoking cessation

66%

Biometric screening

59%

Health risk assessment

53%

Fitness/weight loss

52%

Even though 75% of respondents say wellness program incentives are meaningful to them and help them manage their health, 41% report that they haven't earned all of their financial incentives or completed all of the health actions recommended for them. Here's why:

If you haven't earned all of your incentives/completed all of your health actions, was it because…

Reason full incentive not earned/recommended actions not completed

Percent

I'm already doing what I need to be healthy

48%

I need more/better reminders

25%

It was inconvenient/took too much time

25%

The incentive wasn't meaningful to me

20%

I'm concerned about security/privacy of my data

6%

Wellness programs are offering a range of incentive types, from reduced health premiums to points redeemable for prizes.

What kind of incentive is offered by your wellness program?

Type of incentive offered

Percent

Reduced health premium

33%

Gift card

31%

Cash

20%

Points I can redeem for discount/prize

18%

None

18%

Contribution to healthcare account/HSA

17%

Debit card

14%

Penalty for not participating

6%

More than one third of consumers (34%) say cash is the most meaningful incentive when it comes to wellness.

What kind of incentive is most motivating to you to complete a screening or recommended activity?

Type of incentive

Percent

Cash

34%

Discount on health insurance premium

26%

Gift card

18%

Debit card

8%

None—I am motivated with zero incentive

8%

Contribution to healthcare account/HSA

6%

Fifty-two percent (52%) of respondents say an incentive between $100 and $250 would motivate them to take a recommended health action.

What level of financial incentive would motivate you to take action to improve your health?

Level of incentive

Percent

$250

27%

$100

25%

Zero – I would just do it to feel better/be healthier

22%

$500

16%

More than $500

10%

Consumers were asked if there were certain health actions they would take without any incentive. Results are below.

What activities are you likely to complete without an incentive?

Wellness activity

Percent

Biometric screening

46%

Cancer screening

43%

Weight loss program

43%

Disease management/medication adherence

28%

Smoking cessation

20%

None—I would like incentive for any health action

17%

Bryce Williams, CEO and President of HealthMine added, "Behavior change is hard and requires frequent reinforcement. Incentives can play an important role in the adoption or transformation of health behaviors. But, the design and delivery of an incentive is often more important than its size." He continued, "Successful wellness programs offer a combination of dynamic incentives--including variable rewards and loss aversion."

About the SurveyThe HealthMine Wellness Program Survey queried 750 insured consumers who are enrolled in a wellness program. The survey was fielded by Survey Sampling International (SSI) in May 2016. Data were collected via an opt-in panel. The margin of error is 4%. Survey Sampling International (SSI) has been the Worldwide Leader in Survey Sampling and Data Collection Solutions, across every mode, for 37 Years.

About HealthMineHealthMine brings wellness into the digital era for plan sponsors and their members. The HealthMine Personal Clinical Engagement solution automatically collects and analyzes clinical and lifestyle data from multiple sources to create a health profile for each member. Serving as an early warning system, our solution identifies health risks and chronic conditions and automatically triggers alerts. The HealthMine solution delivers health recommendations to members' smartphones in near-real time so they can take action immediately. With HealthMine, plan sponsors can engage and sustain all members in personalized health and disease management activities. HealthMine has more than 1 million users and has saved health plan sponsors more than $100 million in healthcare costs. HealthMine is on the web at www.healthmine.com.